Kylie Bechard named All-Bi-City Girls Soccer Player of the Year

It’s become readily apparent that athleticism runs in Harris County soccer player Kylie Bechard’s family.

Bechard, the daughter of former hockey player and Columbus Cottonmouths head coach and general manager Jerome Bechard, proved herself a menace to opponents in her first season on the Lady Tigers varsity squad. She was a tremendous asset throughout her sophomore season, scoring 57 goals, delivering 14 assists and executing 32 steals.

For her efforts, Bechard has been chosen as the All-Bi-City Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

“I was proud of everyone on the team and how we all worked together,” Bechard said. “I feel like this year when we played, we played better and harder than we did before. In each game, we worked as hard as we had in any game that year.”

Harris County posted a 13-6 record in 2017, with Bechard leading the charge time and time again. She brought in a number of honors for her play, including being named Region 1-5A’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year, a member of the region’s First Team squad and selected as Harris County’s Best Offensive Player.

Bechard said her favorite highlight came on February 24, when Harris County hit the road to face Thomas County Central. She said she and the other players were nervous, but judging by the team’s play, that wasn’t evident. Harris County took care of business with a 8-4 victory.

Regarding her sophomore year, Bechard explained her intent did not revolve around her personal highlights, though many occurred along the way.

“I tried to make it fun and bond with my friends and teammates,” Bechard said.

Bechard’s high school play ended for the year when Harris County lost in the first round to Starr’s Mill, but she’s had plenty of soccer work since that time.

Bechard plays on a travel team in Birmingham and recently participated in a showcase in New Jersey. The travel didn’t stop there, as she headed out to Chicago last week to play in nationals. Along with the travel team commitments, she will also attend a soccer camp at Auburn, a school already close to Bechard’s heart.

Bechard committed to the Auburn soccer program in February 2016 after taking two unofficial visits to the school. She spoke highly of the campus, the team atmosphere and head coach Karen Hoppa, who she said mixes being personable but firm as a coach well.

While she has her college plans in order, local opponents still have two more years to try and slow her down. Bechard hopes she and the team take the next step in 2018, a task she appears more than ready to take on.

“For the team, I want to at least make it past the first round of the playoffs and even go further,” Bechard said. “For myself, I just want to help keep the team together and be a leader on the field.”

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Kylie Bechard named All-Bi-City Girls Soccer Player of the Year."